Broken Pieces
by ampersandy
Summary: ArmadaEnergonCybertron universe: The story of Slinger in a series of 100 oneshots, with themes from challenge 3 from the fanchar100 challenge on lj. Rating range from PG to R. Bio and first three chapters up.
1. Slinger's Bio

Name: A-01/Slinger

Age: 3 million years old; age varies with fic

Hair: N/A

Eyes: Optics, not eyes, per say- bright blue under a red visor

Height: Between 28 and 30 ft post remodel; pre-remodel, 24 feet

Weight: 1.5 tons post remodel; pre-model, .75 tons

Gender: (subjectively-- believer in robot androgyny) Female (femme designate)

Species: Transformer-- Omnicon/Autobot

Demeanor: Very volatile, Slinger is more likely to jump headfirst into combat than avoid it. Slinger is a very close friend of fellow Mariner Sideswipe. Because of her original occupation, she excels in mining and underground operations. Professional and brisk in dealings with her superiors, never uses someone else's nickname without proper permission first.

Description: Slinger was the original SLINGER unit prototype, known as A-01. Her creator, Wraith, was the head researcher at the Autobot city Iacon. She was kept at the facility and underwent numerous tests and experiments. During her time in Iacon, A-01 fell in love with the model for the aerial SKYBLAST units, a jet mech called Jetstorm. Jetstorm, however, was an addict to the drug known as Vertigo, and for a time this dragged the two apart. When Wraith saw the devastating psychological effects it was having on each, he ordered them to make up, or else. The two reconciled, and Jetstorm stayed off the drug permanently after that. The two bonded, and lived happily for a while, as Minicons began pouring in from very sector and Wraith worked furiously to build them a spaceship to get all the Minicons off of Cybertron. When Optimus Prime learned of Wraith's plan, he ordered the Autobots to retreat from battle-- he would battle Megatron while they protected Iacon.

However, the plan did not succeed; the Decepticons managed to overwhelm the Autobots and attack Iacon. Jetstorm died of energon deprivation, as he and A-01 were trapped in the rubble, and A-01 survived to become the first SLINGER unit-- and the first OMNICON. For the next millennia, Slinger worked as a miner with a few different work triads, and finally ended up at the planet of Earth, in the South American mines, with her workmates Strongarm--later known as Shatter-- and Skyblast--later known as Layshaft.

Slinger--as she was now known-- convinced the others to threaten to blow up the mine in return for their freedom. Former Autobot C.M.O. and current Base Commander Red Alert agreed, and gave them new bodies so that they could go their own way.

What the three really wanted to do was explore space. Slinger had navigated the mines and detected Energon veins, and this led her to study space navigation. Layshaft, who had extensive communication grids, wanted to study communications, and Shatter had always wanted to work as a supply officer. The three got together and told Red Alert of their plans, who decided that since peace had settled he could afford to leave Earth and Cybertron behind for a while. He gathered a crew: the three former Omnicons, his personal secretary and Slinger's friend Sideswipe, Blurr, Scavenger, Hoist, and Wheeljack, and the crew gathered aboard the old cruiser _Mariner_. They spent 7 years aboard that ship, and returned to Cybertron only once-- with the outbreak of the second war-- only to leave again. In this time, Slinger and Wheeljack became mates. Slinger and the others were last seen--without Red Alert, who has stayed behind on Cybertron to help Optimus Prime and the Autobots from behind the scenes-- on their way back to the dangerous but beautiful Signori system.

Alt-mode is a cherry-red Plymouth Prowler; thin, tall-ish compared to her friends. Shoulder mounted missile racks and double blasters, yellow accents. Red visor over her optics, plain-featured, sometimes her missile racks seem too big for her body. Picture may be available soon.

Fandom: Transformers: Armada/Energon/Cybertron (maybe)

Relationships (with others in the series): Layshaft (friend, workmate; my OC), Shatter (friend, workmate, my OC), Red Alert (canon, commander), Sideswipe (canon, close friend), Blurr (canon, teacher-- weaponry), Hotshot (canon, bitter rival), Jetstorm (my OC, teacher--history, culture, art; mate at one point), Wraith (my OC, creator), Wringer (my OC, boss) Wheeljack (Canon, mate).


	2. 4: Captive

Title: Study

Challenge Set: 3

Challenge: #4: Captive

Rating: PG-13 for implications

Word Count: 266

Pairings: A-01/Jetstorm

Summary: With just his optics, he held her in place.

Other Notes: Set right before the Minicon flight from Cybertron: A-01 is 2.25 million years old.

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With all the recent experiments done on her recently, it was a wonder she could move at all. Normally she remained in medbay while she recovered, but now she had a roommate, so it had been deemed safe to let her go back to her quarters. Because of the recent overflow of Minicons recently, rooms-- and berths-- were getting crowded, and Jetstorm spent so much time there already that he had volunteered to move in with his companion, both to look after her and to create more room for others.

A-01 sat at her desk, studying some obscure Minicon folklore, and Jetstorm sprawled across their recharge berth, a datapad holding battle data in front of him. Occasionally, he glanced up to watch her, but turned his optics back to the datapad before she caught him.

After nearly a breem of this, A-01 looked up to see him watching her, and froze. At first Jetstorm worried it was systems failure, but then realized it was his optics.

She stared back at him, and didn't know why she couldn't gather the energy to speak. Jetstorm stood and walked in front of her, and her only response was to crane her neck so as to continue their staring contest. He ran a finger across her sensitive helm plating, and she still did not move. He suddenly reached down and gathered her in his arms.

She didn't react, but simply lay frozen in his gaze.

He laid her on the recharge berth and attempted to coax reaction from her, and the reaction he got was just the one he had wanted.


	3. 12: Found

Title: Feeling

Challenge Set: 3

Challenge: #18: Found

Rating: PG

Word Count: 285

Pairings: A-01/Jetstorm mention

Summary: He'd hoped to find her cracked but not broken.

Other Notes: Set just after the Minicon flight from Cybertron; Slinger is 2 million years old.

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Wraith was frantic with worry. No matter how callous he could be, A-01 had become a person to him-- true, a person who was so very broken and fragile, but a person nonetheless. She had become a person like Jetstorm had become a person to him-- unwillingly and slowly, creeping up on him like deadlines.

A cycle after the attack and subsequent ruins of the research facility, they had managed to isolate a pair of energy signatures amongst the rubble. However, one of those signals was fading, and the other strengthening. And knowing Jetstorm's uncontrolled Energon star-creating capabilities… Wraith ordered excavation sped up, hoping to catch them both alive.

As it turned out, about halfway through excavation one of those signals failed. Wraith almost cried out, but reined in his emotions and waited for the excavating Autobots to finish.

Finally, they were so very close to getting to the small crevice; Wraith scurried to the plate of metal that covered it, and tore it out, hoping against hope, and stared down to see A-01, cradling the body of Jetstorm. Mounted on her chest was an Energon star.

Thanking Primus, Wraith jumped down-- for once heedless to possible damage-- and brushed her cheek. He caught her when she launched herself at him with a sob. They sank down together, and Wraith soothed her as well as he could-- it was clumsy, but it was more comfort than the cold shell of her mate.

Crying meant sadness, and sadness meant she was feeling-- _that_ was what he had been worried about.

A-01 couldn't break emotionally. His world would end- A-01 was _always _emotional. _Always_

Because without her to model himself after, Wraith wouldn't feel anything at all.


	4. 18: Fear

Title: Dark

Challenge Set: 3

Challenge: #12: Fear

Rating: PG

Word Count: 230

Pairings: Jetstorm/A-01 mention, Wheeljack/Slinger

Summary: More than anything else, she feared being alone in the dark again.

Other Notes: Approx. 10 years post-Armada; Slinger is 3 million years old.

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She had always liked the dark. It reminded her of mines and work and pure energon. It reminded her of Layshaft and Shatter. It reminded her of Wheeljack. It reminded her of the time she and Jetstorm had spent in the dark of her quarters when the Decepticons attacked the research facility before the Minicon flight from Cybertron.

She liked the dark, but she didn't like to think about it too much, because that reminded her of Jetstorm's optics as he had given her a chance for life while dying himself. And then he had left her alone, just her and his frame and the datapad loaded with Minicon folklore they had been sucking dry of energy at the end. By then, she hadn't needed it, and that's when Wraith and her rescuers showed up.

When she and Wheeljack had bonded, he had promised not to ever leave her alone in the dark. Sometimes she worried, though, because Jetstorm had said much the same thing and look where he was now.

It wasn't so much the being alone as it was the darkness that came with it. She could deal with alone; she'd done it before-- she did map out mines, after all- but she didn't think she could watch as the optics of someone she loved darkened for the last time.

That was one darkness that would never lift.


End file.
